Shane Mosley: Will he suffer his first knockout against Pacquiao?

Shane Mosley has never been knocked out in his professional boxing career, but experts and boxing fans as well say he may have his first knockout on May 7 in the hands of pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao.

Less than two months before they collide at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Mosley has remained a 6-1 underdog, which simply means Pacquiao is the perceived winner come fight night. The next question is how will the fight end?

WBA Junior Welterweight Champion Amir Khan, who is training in Baguio City Philippines under Freddie Roach, said he thinks Pacquiao will be the first boxer to knock out Shane Mosley on May 7.

At the Planet Jupiter gym in Makati two weeks ago, Khan said he expects a thriller between Pacquiao and Mosley. “That guy Mosley can punch,” said Khan. “He’s got hand-speed. I don’t know about his legs. When Manny puts on the pressure, I’m not sure if Mosley will know where to go. I honestly don’t know if Mosley can take Manny’s power. I think Manny could be the first fighter to knock out Mosley," Philstar.com reports.

Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach said Mosley will not last the distance.

"Shane is a tough guy. He has a good chin and he's dangerous," said Roach, a five-time Trainer of the Year. "He is faster than [Antonio] Margarito, and he's a much better boxer," said Roach. "But I don't think he's going to last the distance. I think my guy will knock him out."

However, veteran sportswriter Larry Merchant believes otherwise.

Merchant called Mosley, "a dangerous guy," owing to the fact that, other than present WBA junior middleweight king Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) and six-time titlist Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs), who decisioned Mosley, respectively, for the WBA welterweight crown in November of 2007, and, in a May of 2010 non-title bout, Mosley's only troubles have come against taller boxers with good defensive skills.

"If Mosley can get in shape to fight for 12 rounds, I'm saying that Shane Mosley could beat Manny Pacquiao," said Merchant. "But I'm not saying that he will."

Certainly, Larry Merchant's thoughts on the Pacquiao-Mosley fight make a lot of sense if one is to look at Shane Mosley's career record.

Still, many disagree with the seasoned sportswriter for a variety of reasons.

Before his initial loss to Vernon Forrest in 2002, Mosley had a long 38-fight winning streak spanning 8 years.

In his 46 professional fights, Mosley lost only to four opponents which include Vernon Forrest (2x), Winky Wright (2x), Miguel Cotto and Floyd Mayweather.

Almost four years ago when Shane Mosley was at his prime, he lost an unpopular unanimous decision to Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto. After the fight at the Madison Square Garden in New York, Cotto said he tried to slow down in the remaining rounds because he knew he was well ahead in the scoring, although he admitted he was getting tired.

Mosley was only 35 years old when he lost to Cotto in 2007. Two years later, Pacquiao demolished Cotto by knocking him down twice and turning his face into a bloody mess before finally stopping him at 55 seconds of the 12th round.

On May 7, six out of 10 boxing fans say Pacquiao will emerge as the winner, but how many of those who predict a Pacquiao win say it will be a win via KO?

Freddie Roach said Mosley is a difficult fight for Pacquiao, but he believes the Filipino boxing superstar will knock him out.